When a human is thrust into Equestria on a whim, he struggles to fit in with the locals of this strange land and tries to figure out how to get home, making new friends along the way.

In the heat of the moment, some ponies have a habit of letting things out. Sometimes they are minor things that most just shrug off and forget about in a matter of milliseconds. Sometimes they are things that, once revealed, shake the very foundation of their existence.

Rarity's latest revelation falls into the latter.

When Rarity and Rainbow Dash took their first steps down the road of romance, they had hoped telling their friends would be their greatest trial. However, when the complications of an injury leave one of them disfigured and the other racked with guilt, they find themselves leaning on each other to simply maintain balance in their lives.

Sequel to Third Time's a Charm

Rainbow Dash would rather do anything else than sit in an office and discuss problems she didn't have. Yet here she was, waiting for it to be over. Her only real hope was that Applejack would come to her senses before the next appointment.

Carrot Cake is starting to think that his wife is hiding something. After reading an old book about myths and monsters, he starts to see strange quirks in her behavior that he never noticed before. Obviously there's a reasonable explanation for all of this, right? She couldn't really be a changeling...could she?

After her face and body are permanently scarred, Rarity seals herself off in her room with the lights off and drapes drawn, too disgusted by her own appearance to be seen. The only comfort she has comes in the form of daily visits from Spike, though she keeps the room dark to hide her deformities from the baby dragon. Can he convince her that she has nothing to fear; that her beauty is not limited to what she looks like?

My entry for the Feature Box Crusaders' Contest due on March 20th.

Thanks to BubblepipeWrangler for the initial story idea, and the help writing and editing it.

Additional thanks to: Twi-Guy and Featherprop for their help with the editing.

Applejack and Rainbow Dash knew this would be hard, but a long distance relationship was in their future from the start. A Wonderbolt and an apple farmer don't have a lot of time in the same place, so they do their best with letters and the occasional weekends. But when Applejack finds out that Rainbow Dash is on the cover of Flyers Illustrated: Wet Feathers Edition, it plays on a fear she never mentioned to Dash: Everypony knows that famous ponies are different from normal folks. . .

Right?

"Wet Mane Rainbow Dash," used in the cover image, is by Suikuzu.
Prereading by DbzOrDie, First_Down, Tchernobog, and Jackie

"Gather round, I got a bit of a story to tell. It don't got much to do with princesses, dragons and the like- not even much of a happily ever after. But things worked themselves out all the same."

"This is the tale of a little filly, no older than the ones you see scurrying about town- futures as bright as their smiles."

"The Kid ain't have it so lucky."

"Her classmates, even some of her friends would poke fun at her. Some even called her a chicken.

Children can be cruel like that.

One day, Kid got some news, started believing all that hogwash. Broke her little heart something fierce. But between you and me, Kid had more guts than any chicken I seen."

"I should know, because I was there..."

(Narrated in the voice of Ruck from Bastion.)

Twilight had always been a diligent researcher. She would routinely pour over every book she had at her disposal in preparation for every royal assignment. Except, sometimes books can only teach one so much. With this heretical idea in mind, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash decide to take it upon themselves to make sure Twilight keeps her wings clean, and doesn't embarrass herself in the sky.

Quick Wits: One of the shyest stallions you will ever meet. He even rivals Fluttershy! Well, all that changes thanks to a chance encounter with... Well, don't let me spoil it for you! Get reading!

This is my attempt at taking a more "quaint" turn in the ways of storytelling. Instead of cut-rate action and dark pasts and all that, these characters will be fairly normal, with a few minor and maybe a single major quirk to them. So don't expect much to keep you on the edge of your seat.

NOTE: One of the main characters has a bad stutter, and I tried my best to make it seem natural, and not come off as annoying. So try not to be too harsh about that.